Friday Food Find- Mrs. Dash

Today is more of a Friday Flavor Find instead of a food find. As many over-weight people often do, I've been treated for high blood pressure on and off over the years. At the age of 30, that is scary! It seems it runs in the family a little. With my last trip to the grocery store, I decided to get as much low sodium, no salt added stuff as possible. My mom had mentioned once before about Mrs. Dash seasonings. I remembered that from when I was little. Back then there was only one! Now, according to their website, Mrs. Dash has 14 salt free seasoning blends and 6 salt free marinades! So I got a couple to try.

Earlier this week I went way over normal for breakfast points, so had to think light for lunch. I did this Red Pepper Egg-In-A-Whole from skinnytaste.com. I skipped the bread. Then I decided to saute some garlic, onion, mushrooms and halved cherry tomatoes to go with it. I used 1 tsp of olive oil (1 point). When they were just about done, I remembered I had this Tomato Basil Garlic Mrs. Dash in the cupboard! I sprinkled some on, added 1/2 oz of Fat Free Tomato Basil Feta Cheese (0 points) and gave it a quick stir to heat the cheese through. It was delicious!!! With a handful of grapes on the side, it was a wonderful lunch, for only 3 points! I will be trying some of the other salt free seasoning blends from Mrs. Dash for sure! (in fact, we are using the steak seasoning in tonight's sloppy joes recipe, also from the Skinny Taste website!)

~Rebecca

Friday Food Find--Lunch with a Crunch

Everyone has that food they crave. The one that helped get them to where they are today. Mine is crunchy stuff! I sometimes can get away with carrots for the crunchy fix, but not always. Before the roll out of PointsPlus, I did lots of baked lays. For only 2 points for 1 oz, I couldn't beat that. I would eat them as a snack or with my lunch. With PointsPlus, they are 3 points. One point more isn't bad, but I just didn't feel like I got enough "crunch" to make that 1 point worth it. So, I went on the search to find something with lots of flavor and quantity for the points! Here is what I found.

These are Genisoy Soy Crisps. I have tried the Creamy Ranch, and the Cheddar flavors. You get 17 of them for 3 points! For snack, you could pair them with a "free" fruit or some veggies. They are great for snacking in the car too, just remember to count out your 17 crisps and leave the rest at home!

This week I had them with a wrap, apple and milk for a lunch of just 10 points. (only 7 without the milk)

I have been trying to come up with some lunch alternatives since the "sandwich thins" that used to be 1 point are now 3! I found that I can do most things in a wrap form, and save 1 point. I use the LaFactoria high fiber, low carb tortilla's. They don't have the most flavor, but I almost always use hummus on my wraps so the lack of flavor in the tortilla isn't a huge issue.

The wrap pictured is 4 points.

• LaFactoria tortilla-2 points
• 2 Tbsp of Tribe All Natural Hummus- 1 point
• 1 serving (six slices) Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Mesquite Turkey Breast- 1 point
• 2 Tbsp shredded Fat Free cheddar cheese- 0 points
• sliced orange and yellow sweet bell peppers- 0 points

The milk is 3 points. On the old points plan, 1% was the same point value as non-fat. Now, the 1% is 3 points and the non-fat is still 2 points. I guess it's time to switch so I can save another point!

~Rebecca

Guest Blogger: Friday Food Finds - Microwaved Baked Potato

Happy Friday!! 

Remember Here when I shared about my sister and her Weight Watchers journey.  The other day I was talking with my sister and she mentioned a soup she found and how much she liked it.  That got me thinking, as a somewhat newbie to Weight Watchers she was at a different stage.  She was enjoying the discovery stage of find new and exciting healthy food.  I occasionally find that new recipe or new product, but I really already went through that discovery stage.  I approached her and asked if she would like to be a guest blogger and share with my readers some of her finds.

Without further ado, I give you Friday Food Finds with Guest Blogger Rebecca!!   
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When I know that I am going somewhere in the evening where there will be rich foods, I like to plan ahead by having a low point, filling lunch. (even more so when those rich foods are the night before weigh in!) So, for lunch today I did a baked potato, 1 cup of Progresso Light Vegetable soup and some pretzels. I know pretzels aren’t filling, but crunchy is my weak spot!

You may be thinking “I could never do a baked potato for lunch, it takes too long.” I thought the same thing until someone introduced me to microwaving them last week! A plain large baked potato is only 3 pts! (set point of 5) Doing them in the microwave is super easy and quick!

Step 1: This is the most important step. If you don’t do this, it will blow up in your microwave! (or so I’m told) Take a knife and cut 3-4 slits down into your potato.

Step 2: Microwave your potato for 3-4 minutes. If it is on the smaller size, start with 3 minutes. The time needed in total will depend on the power of your microwave. I just put the potato directly on the microwave tray. If you are in an office with a shared microwave, you could put it on a paper towel for easy clean up.

Step 3: Check your potato: Take a fork and stab it into the potato. Lift it up. If it is done, the potato will easily slide off your fork. If it needs more time, I recommend doing 1 minute increments until it does slide from the fork.

Now for some toppings, because lets face it potatoes are boring! If you have the points for it, you could do some cut up turkey bacon (1-2 points depending on how much and brand), or even some fat-free sour cream (only ½ a point for 2 TBLS)!! Today I just did 1 TBLS of country crock margarine (1 point) and 2 TBLS of shredded cheese (1 point). There are so many low point options that you could use as toppings for your baked potato!!

I like to pair my potatoes with some nice hot soup! Progresso has some great soups that are 0 or 1 point per serving! Remember, there are 2 servings in a can! If you are taking it to work, I would suggest dividing the can into 2 tupperware containers that morning or the night before. The 0 point ones are still about 1.5 points for the whole can, so not too bad if you have the points for the whole can.

Enjoy your quick and filling baked potatoes!